Five game unbeaten streak on the line at KC
By Kali Korbis • Jun 26th, 2008 • Category: Game PreviewsReal Salt Lake travels to Kansas City on Saturday hoping to preserve its five-game undefeated streak.
RSL is coming off a huge win, having defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 last weekend to move into second place in the Western Conference standings. Rookie Tino Nuñez scored his first goal for the team after coming on as a substitute. Meanwhile, Kansas City drew 0-0 at Toronto last weekend.
Both teams will be looking to improve on the results of their last meeting. Real and the Wizards drew 0-0 in Salt Lake City on June 7, largely due to a tremendous performance by KC goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
Salt Lake’s Robbie Findley, who sustained a concussion during the Revolution match, is feeling better but remains questionable for Saturday’s match. Fellow striker Yura Movsisyan is also considered questionable, while another forward, Fabian Espindola, and midfielder Nathan Sturgis are still out with their respective injuries.
Meanwhile, Roger Espinoza received a red card against Toronto and will not be available for the Wizards on Saturday. Midfielder Kerry Zavagnin’s foot problem has him listed as questionable as well.
The venue may also play an important role in Saturday’s match. KC shares space with the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team and has had difficulty getting into CommunityAmerica Ballpark for regular practices, although they were able to do so on Wednesday.
The Wizards and their opponents alike have noted the unique nature of the stadium; many players believe it feels small, which may help RSL on Saturday as well. Real, which plays on a college football field at Rice-Eccles Stadium, has struggled to adapt to larger pitches in most of its away games this season.
However, Salt Lake did earn its first road win of 2008 two weeks ago, defeating Chivas USA 1-0 at the Home Depot Center. Jason Kreis’ team will be looking to build on that success in Kansas City.
The match will kick off at 6 pm MT and can be seen locally on KSL 5.3 (Comcast 105).
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